Kayla Lockwood




I question the master narratives of art by celebrating cultural differences in the broad spectrum of human creativity and expression.

I represent myself and my artwork in two personas that exemplify my creative practice. One is Miss Identify which is a witty exploitation of the ambiguities of “misidentify,” encompassing my experiences of others misidentifying and erasing my multi-racial and bisexual identities. I utilize this practice as a love language to examine my internal relationships with my emotions and self-identity as well as my external relationships with friends and family through a nostalgic lens. These are works of emotional and physical relationships with myself and others, exploring topics of coping with grief and loss, rediscovering family histories and reclaiming self-identity.

My other persona is Social Sin, which is based on my interest in examining the societal sins of discrimination and injustice through an institutional lens. I utilize this practice to build a stronger community through research, workshops, and community conversations. These works bring awareness of implicit biases, emphasize empathy and highlight the importance of maintaining self-identity through collaboration and non-confrontational dialogue. These two personas overlap at a unique intersection of exploring the concept of death as a loss of identity and how one grieves that loss through personal anecdotes, rediscovery, and reclamation. This exploration establishes a relationship between personal and cultural histories as one’s self-identity is shaped by personal experiences and social expectations.

These two personas overlap at a unique intersection of exploring the concept of death as a loss of identity and how one grieves that loss through personal anecdotes, rediscovery, and reclamation. This exploration establishes a relationship between personal and cultural histories as one’s self-identity is shaped by personal experiences and social expectations.